I wonder use of 'a' in the following sentence.

Question

There are an estimated 90000 gangsters in the country. That is a right sentence. But I don't know 'a(an)' usage.

MountainHiker · Accepted Answer

metanoeno,

I am not sure of your question. "a" or "an" is an article. You can learn more about articles here at[url="http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/determiners/determiners.htm"]Articles, Determiners, and Quantifiers[/url].

Your sentence to me says,

There is a something or thing in the country.

In our case, the something is "estimated 90,000 gangsters". We precede the "thing" with an article.

As you point out, the sentence is correct.

I am not sure if I helped you. If I missed the mark, please write back and rephrase your question.

MountainHiker

CalifJim · Answer

"a / an" does seem a bit strange with 90,000, doesn't it?

There is no such thing as "a 90,000" or "a gangsters", of course!

What you have come across is an idiom usually used with large numbers.

The words "an estimated" are frequently used before a very large number or percentage to show that the number is not exact. It is not a mistake in which the singular article "an" is used with a plural noun. In the case you cite, it is a different way of saying, "According to an estimate, there are 90000 gangsters in the country".

There is another similar idiom to watch for, and it also means that the number is not extremely accurate. It is "some". In the case you cite, the author could have said, "There are some 90000 gangsters in the country.".

Hope this helped.

Sunilbhasin · Answer

There are an estimated 90000 gangsters in the country.

If your question pertains to the use of 'a' and 'an', I think the following might help you out.
Use 'an' before all words beginning with the vowels: a, e, i, o u. This is done to facilitate pronunciation. For example, if we say 'a apple', it is a bit difficult to say; it is easier to say 'an apple'. Similarly, 'a elephant', 'a ink', 'a owl' and 'a underground' are all difficult to speak. But is is easier to speak them with 'an': 'an elephant', 'an ink', 'an owl' and 'an underground'. But there are certain exceptions to the rule.
1. Do not use 'an' before 'university'. The reason behind this is that the 'u' in 'university' is pronounced as 'you'. Other like words are 'unique', 'utopia', 'ubiquitous'.
If at you have a doubt, refer a dictionary for the pronunciation of that word. If it sounds like 'you', do not use an 'an'.
For all other words, use a.

Metanoeno · Answer

Thank you, Califjim.

Your answer satisfied my curiosity.

I wonder use of 'a' in the following sentence.

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions